Cold Process Soap Making 101: The Basics & Much More

Transcription

1 Cold Process Soap Making 101: The Basics & Much More ~by Lori Nova Endres~ Disclaimer: Sodium hydroxide (lye) should be handled carefully only by those who have read and understand the dangers of working with a highly caustic raw material. It is the responsibility of each soapmaker to research safety procedures prior to making soap. Recommended Soap Books ~Cavitch, Susan Miller. The Soapmaker's Companion, Storey Publishing, Things I Don t Agree With: 10% lye discount & using GSE. I recommend instead using a 5% lye discount (or 5% superfatting) & I use ROE for antioxidant purposes. ~Grosso, Alicia. The Everything Soapmaking Book (2nd Edition), Adams Media, ~Gale, Marie. Soap & Cosmetic Labeling: How to Follow the Rules and Regs Explained in Plain English, Cinnabar Press, Additional Reading/Sources Cavitch, Susan Miller. The Natural Soap Book, Storey Publishing, Coss, Melinda. Gourmet Soaps Made Easy. North Light Books, Coss, Melinda. The Handmade Soap Book. Storey Communications, Failor, Catherine. Making Natural Liquid Soaps, Storey Publishing, Failor, Catherine. Making Transparent Soap, Storey Publishing, Copyright The Nova Studio. All rights reserved. Page 1

2 What is Cold Process (CP) Soap? Making your own soap from scratch is a wonderful way to express your creativity and give your family & friends access to amazing soap. You can customize it for any skin type & it can be as natural as you want to make it. Just like when you make a cake from scratch, instead of buying one pre-made or purchasing an inexpensive boxed mix, your soap can have the highest quality ingredients (organic, if you so choose) and as long as you understand how the different oils & ingredients affect the final soap, you have total control over how the soap turns out (mushy or hard, plain or colorful, unscented or scented, etc.). The Cold Process (or CP) method is the most common method that is used today to make soap at home (and for good reason). It truly makes the best soap money can buy. This is why so many homebased soap businesses begin. Compared to what you can buy in on in a typical store, handmade soap far exceeds customer expectations of what a good soap is, AND it s not that difficult or expensive to make. To make soap using the Cold Process method, you combine your oils/fats, distilled water/lye, and stir the mixture to trace (a stage of thickness, which will be explained later in the handouts), then add colors, scents and additives (all optional) and pour into a prepared mold. The saponification process mainly takes place in the mold without your involvement. No outside heat source is used once the oils/fats and water/lye are mixed together (other than what naturally occurs). Subsequently, most CP soaps need 4-6 weeks to cure (during which time excess water evaporates & any residual lye is neutralized) before they should be used. Soap History The origins of personal cleanliness date back to prehistoric times. Since water is essential for life, the earliest people lived near water and knew something about its cleansing properties. A soap-like material found in clay cylinders during the excavation of ancient Babylon is evidence that soapmaking was known as early as 2800 B.C. Inscriptions on the cylinders say that fats were boiled with ashes, which is a method of making soap, but they do not refer to the purpose of "soap." A medical document from about 1500 B.C. describes combining animal fats and vegetable oils with alkaline salts to form a soap-like material used for treating skin diseases, as well as for washing. According to an ancient Roman legend, soap got its name from Mount Sapo where animals were sacrificed. Rain washed a mixture of melted animal fat & wood ashes down into the clay soil along the Tiber River. People found that this clay mixture made their laundry cleaner with less effort. The ancient Germans & Gauls are also credited with discovering a substance called soap made from tallow & ashes (Source: America traditionally treated soapmaking as a home craft, making sodium hydroxide (caustic soda/lye) by leaving rainwater to drip through a perforated barrel filled with hardwood ash. The resulting solution was then boiled until it was concentrated enough for a fresh egg (still in its shell) to float on the surface without sinking. Fat was rendered from whichever animals happened to be around at the time & "grandma-style" soap was created, although rough skin & holey socks were often unwelcome by-products of this rather caustic brew (Source: Handmade Soap Book by Melinda Coss). Sites with Additional Soap History: spadet.com/soap-making-history-and-techniques Copyright The Nova Studio. All rights reserved. Page 2

3 What is Trace? When saponification occurs, your soap will thicken to a point referred to as trace. A "traced" batch is often identified by dribbling soap from the spoon over the soap mixture until the dribble sits on top of the mixture (forming a bumpy line). A thin trace is like pancake batter. A very thick trace is similar to the consistency of pudding. Once the soap reaches this stage, you know it s ready to be poured into the molds. Some recipes can take only minutes to reach trace, while others can take several hours or more. The specific oils/fats in a recipe will usually determine how long they take to reach this stage. Don't fear; as long as your recipe is good and your measurements are accurate, your soap will eventually reach the all-important phase called trace. NOTE: The reason recognizing trace is so important is that it is your signal that the soap is mixed thoroughly enough where you can then add your scent and place it into the mold to finish saponifying. If your soap isn t properly mixed, you can have separation of the ingredients which will result in a failed/bad batch. Factors Affecting Trace Time Stirring the soap more rapidly will bring the soap to trace sooner. Whisking with a stainless steel whisk will make the mixture reach trace sooner than stirring with a spoon (the old fashioned method). More recently, soap makers have discovered the stick blender (aka immersion blender) which can save hours of stirring for some recipes. Almost everyone I know now uses the stick blender to make soap. Be aware that some fragrance oils, some essential oils (particularly warming oils), fragrance oils & ingredients (like pomace olive oil or GSE or ROE) will sometimes speed up trace time. It's not entirely predictable but good to be aware of so you are ready (with molds, etc.) when the soap is! Tips on Using a Stick Blender (NOTE: My favorite is the Proctor Silex Brand from CVS for about $15) While many soap makers use a stick blender to reduce stirring time, others are nervous about using a high-speed mechanical appliance with the caustic lye solution. I resisted at first, but now I always use a stick blender to make soap. Here are some tips: If you've never used a stick blender before, experiment in your soap mixing container with plain water. Get a feel for how the stick blender operates and how much you can raise it without having water splash on the sides and out of the pot. Be sure that your blender is completely submersed in the soap before turning on. If your blender has 2 speeds, start out on low and increase to high if needed. I recommend not using a stick blender when first combining the lye/water with the oils. Instead, use a spoon and hand stir. Once they have thoroughly mixed, put the stick blender in, turn it on low, and start blending. Only run blender for a few minutes at a time otherwise the motor can burn out (die). Also, I like to finish up a batch by hand stirring in the essential oils and herbs. Note: You can buy stick blenders at stores like Walgreen s, Kmart or Target for about $10 - $15. They also sell more expensive, fancy models at specialty stores like Williams Sonoma, Macy s, etc. for anywhere between $15 and $100. The $15 ones work just fine - so save your money for those expensive essential oils instead! Copyright The Nova Studio. All rights reserved. Page 3

4 Materials, Equipment & Supplies Many people read about and study soapmaking for months before ever making a batch. Even then, most people don't try it without someone else who has made soap before there to make sure everything is good. After taking this class and reading through all the materials (assuming you understand the process and took good notes), you should be able to make soap on your own although personally, I prefer to make soap with a friend. Before You Begin, Make Sure You Have The Following: 1. A Clean Work Area. The key to making soap incident-free is to be organized. Be sure to have all your ingredients measured out ahead of time. Always have a pen & paper ready to take any necessary notes. Taking good notes during the soapmaking process is critical for troubleshooting bad batches and repeating successful batches. 2. Proper Attire. Any collection of old clothing (long sleeved shirt, pants, shoes, etc.) that will cover the majority of your skin in the case you spill the lye or soap mixture. You should ALWAYS wear rubber gloves AND eye protection when working with lye. 3. An Environment Free from Distractions. Never make soap when you are watching small children, are hurried or distracted. Many soap makers don't even answer their phone or the door while making soap. Although making soap is fun, it demands a certain level of seriousness and focus. Materials & Equipment Checklist: Safety Equipment (eye protection, rubber gloves, long sleeved shirt, socks, etc.) Accurate Digital Scale (that measures ounces & grams for oils/fats & lye) 2 cup Heavy Duty Plastic Measuring Cup (for weighing the sodium hydroxide) 2 quart Heavy Duty Plastic Pitcher or Bucket (for mixing lye into the water) 5-10 Qt. Stainless Steel Pot (must be non-aluminum) (for melting oils & mixing soap) 1 or 2 Heavy Plastic Mixing Spoons (for mixing the lye/water and your soap) Measuring Cups and Spoons (for measuring miscellaneous additives) Stick Blender (you could stir soap with a spoon but it takes MUCH longer) High Heat Spatula (for scraping inside of the soap pot when pouring into molds) 2 Thermometers (one for lye mixture and one for oils or one infrared gun thermometer). Heavy Duty Large Plastic Bowl (for water bath, if needed) Stove Top or Hot Plate to Warm/Melt Oils/Fats Reynolds Plastic Coated Freezer Paper for Lining Soap Molds & Covering Counters Soap Molds Can be wood, cardboard, PVC, etc. (lined w/freezer Paper if needed) Old Blankets or Towels for Insulating/Wrapping your Soap Non-Serrated Knife or Soap Cutter (to cut the soap hours after pouring) Paper Towels and/or Old Rags for Clean-up White Vinegar (good for cleaning up - used to neutralize lye spills) Ingredients Checklist: Lye (100% sodium hydroxide only use a trusted brand with no metal flakes) Distilled or De-Ionized Water (at room temperature never use hot water) Base Oils & Fats (olive oil, coconut oil, palm oil, castor, etc.) Additives (like natural herbs/clays) Essential Oils (natural) or Fragrance Oils (synthetic use only if tested in CP soap) ROE (Rosemary Oleoresin Extract, antioxidant to extend the shelf life of your soap) Copyright The Nova Studio. All rights reserved. Page 4

5 Working with Sodium Hydroxide (aka Lye) All soap contains lye if it didn't, it wouldn't be called soap! The following info. regarding lye (aka caustic soda) will most likely frighten you. However, thousands of people just like you make soap everyday without incident. The best way to avoid injury is to educate yourself about the dangers & take the necessary precautions. This compound is worthy of our greatest respect. If you can get past the warning information, you are destined to be a soap maker! Sodium hydroxide is commonly used as a main ingredient in drain cleaners. It is highly reactive both in its dry form & within a solution (when mixed with liquid). Lye is corrosive to all tissues. If lye gets on your skin, it will burn if not immediately washed off. Flood skin burns with large quantities of running water until the soapy, slippery feel disappears; then wash with soap and water. If it appears burned, treat as you would treat any other burn. Never leave a container of lye (dry or liquid) unattended or accessible to children or pets. If accidentally swallowed, lye causes serious internal injury & can be fatal if you do not act immediately. Currently, the recommendation of the poison control center is to drink several large glasses of water, call 911 & go quickly to the emergency room. Eye protection (goggles) should ALWAYS be worn when making soap. An accidental splash could burn or blind you. In the case of eye exposure, irrigate the eyes with large quantities of running water & seek immediate medical attention. Some say Milk is a good eye wash as well. Do not use ALUMINUM anything (spoons, bowls, molds, etc.) as it is highly reactive with lye. Cover all work surfaces well as lye can eat into wood, melt or eat through some thin plastics, etc. The dry lye should ALWAYS be added to the WATER, not the other way around. If water is poured into the lye, the reaction can cause a volcano of lye solution. When adding the lye to the water, the mixture will create harmful fumes for a few minutes that you should not breathe. Work in a well ventilated area (or outside). Where Do You Buy Sodium Hydroxide (aka Lye)? In the past, soap makers purchased 100% lye in the form of the brand Red Devil Drain Cleaner in the cleaning section of supermarkets or hardware stores. Red Devil was the only brand of drain cleaner that we trusted to be 100% sodium hydroxide (most other drain cleaners contain metals and are not suitable for soap making). Recently, the makers of Red Devil stopped supplying local stores (rumor has it that it s used in the production of the drug crystal meth). Most soap makers are now forced to purchase lye on line. Until another 100% lye source is readily available from local supermarkets, we recommend purchasing from or Before using, shake the container to determine if the contents are dry & loose. If it sounds chunky at all, moisture has gotten in and you should not use it. I would not recommend buying more than you need it's just asking for trouble to have extra lye lying around the house (no pun intended ). Copyright The Nova Studio. All rights reserved. Page 5

6 Nova Blank CP Soap Worksheet (to photocopy) RECIPE NAME: Created By: Made On Date: Use After (6 weeks) Date: Oil Name Oil Amount Oil % Notes oz. % oz. % oz. % oz. % oz. % Total Batch Weight (in oil): oz. (total/16 oz. = pounds) LIQUID: Amount: LYE: % superfatting = oz. x (conversion #) equals grams of lye needed for this recipe SCENT NOTES: COLOR NOTES: ADDITIVE NOTES: OTHER NOTES: COMBINING TEMPS: F Oils F Lye ANTIOXIDANT: Add 2 grams (or ½ tsp.) ROE for 64 ounces of oil (.1%) Yes or No In Final MOLD at: am / pm MOLD TYPE: Unmolded on date at : am / pm EVALUATION of FINISHED SOAP: Copyright The Nova Studio. All rights reserved. Page 6

7 Majestic Mountain Sage Lye Calculator Printout (from: YIELD: This is a 64 ounce batch (of oils), also known as a 4-Pound Batch. Copyright The Nova Studio. All rights reserved. Page 7

8 CP 101 Soap Recipe Worksheet RECIPE NAME: Created By: The Nova Studio Made On Date: Use After (6 weeks) Date: Oil Name Oil Amount Oil % Notes Olive Oil 25 oz % Coconut Oil 18 oz % Palm Oil 18 oz % Castor Oil 3 oz % Total Batch Weight (in oil): 64 ounces (total divided by 16 oz. = 4 pound batch) LIQUID: 22 Ounces (weight) of Distilled Water LYE: 5% superfatting = 9.16 oz. (x conversion number = 260 grams of lye) SCENT NOTES: COLOR NOTES: ADDITIVE NOTES: OTHER NOTES: COMBINING TEMPS: F Oils F Lye ANTIOXIDANT: Add 2 grams (~1/2 tsp.) ROE for 64 ounces of oil (.1%) Yes or No In Final MOLD at: am / pm MOLD TYPE: Unmolded on date at : am / pm EVALUATION of FINISHED SOAP: Copyright The Nova Studio. All rights reserved. Page 8

9 Instructions for Making Cold Process Soap 1. Ready your working area and your mold(s). Start by covering any surfaces you wish to protect from the lye & raw soap. Have all ingredients out & ready before starting. 2. Place your heavy-duty plastic bucket or mixing container (one that holds at least 8 cups of liquid) onto your scale & tare it out. Weigh out the distilled water. Set it on a tile or trivet (heat-proof pad). 3. Put on protective goggles and rubber gloves and carefully weigh out the lye in a heavy-duty plastic measuring cup (approx 2-cup size). TIP: Sometimes plastic can cause static and the lye granules will bounce out of the cup. To remedy this, first gently wipe the inside & outside of your plastic measuring cup with a new anti-static dryer sheet (like Bounce) to prevent static. 4. In a well-ventilated area, hold your breath and while slowly and steadily stirring with one hand, pour the lye granules INTO the container with the distilled water (NEVER the other way around or you could have a volcano of caustic lye). Take a break to walk away and breathe. Continue to stir until all lye is dissolved (about seconds). The reaction of the lye and water will produce heat, up to 200 F, which causes steam & fumes. Take care not to breathe in the fumes. Place in a safe area to cool to approx. 110 F. 5. Weigh coconut & palm oils (non-liquid base oils) on scale directly in your soap mixing pot (a stovetop safe stainless steel or enamel pan). As a reminder, never use aluminum anything as it will react with the lye solution and the raw soap mixture. 6. Melt solid coconut & palm oils over low heat until just melted. Turn off heat and add any liquid oils (olive oil, castor oil, etc.). If using ROE (antioxidant), now is the time to add it. Stir and cool until oils reach desired combining temp. of approximately 110 F (between F is usually fine). 7. While waiting, double check molds, herbs, essential oils & any other additives. 8. When everything is ready and the temp. of both mixtures/pots is between F, you are ready to make soap! Put back on your goggles & rubber gloves and carefully pour the lye/water into the fats and gently stir with a stainless steel or heavy-duty plastic spoon. 9. Once the lye/water and oils have started mixing, carefully place stick blender into the soap and blend on low speed (if there is a choice) mixing for 5 to 30 second pulses until the soap is mixed and reaches a light trace. If you mix too much, the soap could get too thick, which is really no big deal but in rare cases it can harden in the bowl. 10. If you haven t already done so, add coloring and/or herbs and stir (recipes vary widely when you should add certain additives as there is no one right way to do this). 11. Lastly, add essential oils. Hand stir thoroughly or quick bursts with stick blender. 12. Once everything is incorporated, carefully pour soap into molds. Cover with mold cover (if applicable) or plastic wrap to reduce soda ash. Insulate molds well with old towels/blankets to keep the heat in as it continues to saponify/heat overnight. 13. Setting times vary based on a number of factors, but for this recipe, I usually leave it in the mold for 48 hours (2-3 days) after pouring. NOTE: See the following pages for clean-up tips, cutting, curing & wrapping info. Copyright The Nova Studio. All rights reserved. Page 9

10 Cleaning Up Once you have poured your soap and have it covered and in a safe place, it s time to clean up! There are generally two options: clean up right away or let the dirty pots and spoons sit until the raw soap has saponified and is easier and somewhat safer to clean up (by the next day it is very much on its way to being soap and will lather up all on its own). Unfortunately, the second option requires a separate area/sink where the dirty things can sit, undisturbed and safe from children, pets and unsuspecting adults. This is usually not possible for most soapmakers, so I like to clean up right away. First, it s important to remember when cleaning up that raw soap is still very caustic. Treat it as if it were a lye solution: wear gloves and protective eyewear. Secondly, it is best to avoid washing too much raw soap down your drains. Like any other grease, over time it can block your pipes. And never pour raw, unsaponified soap into your drains, since it will harden in your pipes. So, wipe off as much of the soap as you can with paper towels, before washing with hot, soapy water. I use liquid dishwashing detergent. I advise against using recycled rags to wipe your raw soap since it can become a fire hazard in your dryer if you wash/dry things with too much oil. If you want to use your dishwasher for your utensils & pots, be advised that some soap additives, like essential oils, fragrance oils and colorants, can linger in your dishwasher for many cycles afterward. Cutting & Curing Your Soap Soap is ready to CUT when it is firm enough so it doesn't stick to the mold/knife & soft enough to cut with ease. It should be the consistency of firm fudge. For some recipes the soap is ready to remove from the mold at 24 hours, others 2-3 days. When ready, soap should be cut into bars or desired shapes. It s a good idea to wear rubber gloves while handling soft soap because the lye may not be completely neutralized and may be harsh to the skin. Once unmolded & cut, your soap is now ready to CURE in a well-ventilated, non-sunny location for 4-6 weeks. ROTATE/TURN bars every week or so for best curing. During the cure, residual lye is neutralized & water evaporates causing soap to shrink slightly. Therefore, it s best to wait for the entire curing period before WRAPPING. A fully cured bar is usually more desirable because it s harder & it lasts longer in the shower. Copyright The Nova Studio. All rights reserved. Page 10

11 Wrapping, Decorating & Packaging One of the great things about CP soap is that it can be left completely or partially exposed to the air & it won't adversely affect the soap (whereas melt & pour beads up from moisture in the air). Soap makers have preferences as to whether they leave their bars unwrapped, partially or completely wrapped. However you decide to finish your soap, make it unique so it will stand apart from the crowd. Naked Soap Unwrapped bars are nice because people can see, feel, and smell the soap before they buy/use it. The downside is that the soap will eventually get dusty and dirty if too many people handle it. Cigar Bands To protect their soap, many people use paper to make a cigar-type wrapping band that goes around the center with a label on top so people can pick it up without dirtying the soap, but still smell and see at least part of the soap. This soap was also cut with a potato crinkle cutter. Mini Presents As much as I like to see and feel soap, I like it to be protected from the elements. By wrapping your soap in something breathable, you get the benefit of beautiful presentation that you can smell through. I like to buy rice paper or hand-madelooking paper from an art store & wrap my soap like a mini present (finished with raffia & a descriptive label). I've also seen CP soap neatly wrapped in fabric with or without a cigar band. Soap Balls Soap balls make great gifts and it's a great way to use those left over bits of soap left from cutting & trimming. When your CP soap is only 1 or 2 days old and is still soft, take any remaining pieces and grate them with a cheese grater. Then, simply form into balls like you would if you were making meatballs. If necessary, add a little water if you are having a hard time getting the shavings of soap to stick together. As an added touch, some roll their finished balls in dried herbs or flower petals. Soap Cookies Using cookie cutters in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, you can cut out just about any shape. You can also top the soap with flowers, shells, nuts or seeds and pile on a plate to look like cookies. If they look like food, be sure to have a label that says "not edible!" Copyright The Nova Studio. All rights reserved. Page 11

12 Soap Chemistry Soap is any type of fat mixed with sodium hydroxide (for bar soaps) or potassium hydroxide (for liquid soaps). Although soap is simply made, the chemical reaction is complex: an acid (the fats/oils) & a strong base (a solution of sodium hydroxide & water, also called lye) react to produce soap and glycerin. This process or reaction is called saponification, and as the fats & oils and the lye solution come into contact with one another & react, they are saponifying, or making soap. As you stir, the raw soap mixture changes from a separated thin mixture of watery lye and fats/oils to a thicker, uniform mixture, and this stage is referred to as Trace (see What is Trace section for more info). How/Why Does Soap Work? A soap molecule contains two portions: a carbon chain and an ionic end of sodium or potassium. The carbon chain of the soap molecule is lipophilic, that is it is generally attracted to organic compounds (attracts fatty compounds) while the ionic sodium or potassium end of the molecule is hydrophilic, that is it attracts water. Thus, the molecule is simultaneously active for both fatty and watery materials. It is these concepts of lipophilic and hydrophilic that allows one to understand how soap works. Since water and the oil produced by the skin (which contains the dirt) do not mix, washing with water alone will not remove the dirt and oil on the skin. This problem is solved with soap. When washing with soap, the lipophilic part of the molecule mixes with the oil and the hydrophilic portion of the soap molecule mixes with water. Therefore, when the soap suds are rinsed away, the oil and dirt are also removed. (Original Source: - site no longer exists). When making soap, it s very important to understand that different oils/fats have different saponification rates (aka SAP values) which refer to how much lye it takes to turn that particular fat/oil into soap. For this reason, you CANNOT replace or substitute one fat/oil with another in a recipe without recalculating the SAP value and lye amount. Calculating saponification or SAP values based on published numbers (from a saponification chart in a book or on-line) can be a challenge if you are not really good with math. Most people I know, professional soap makers and home crafters alike, use on-line Lye Calculators. While these calculators don t CREATE a recipe for you, they DO help you determine how much liquid and how much lye should be used with the oils in your recipe. Many companies on-line have lye calculators, but the best available is from It is fairly easy to use and has complete instructions on the site. IMPORTANT NOTE: Substituting oils/fats & creating new recipes is only recommended once you completely understand the basics, the chemistry & have made several successful batches of soap. Copyright The Nova Studio. All rights reserved. Page 12

13 Saponification Value Table For use in calculating your own recipes. Oil/Fat in ounces X Saponification Value = Amount of Lye Needed to make soap for that oil. For multiple oils calculate separately and add lye totals together. Example - 25oz of coconut oil in my recipe. 25oz X (sap value for coconut oil) = 4.75 oz of lye. It will take 4.75oz of lye to saponify the oil. TO CALUCULATE WATER: 6oz. water per 16oz. oil/fat. Example- 64oz. total oil/fats Ö 16 = 4oz. and 4oz. X 6oz. = 24oz. Water Oils Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) Potassium Hydroxide (KOH) Almond, Sweet (For Bar soap) (Liquid & Whipped Soap) Apricot Kernel Avocado Babassu Brazil Nut Beeswax Canola Castor Cocoa Butter Coconut Cod Liver Corn Cottonseed Flaxseed Grapeseed Hazelnut Hempseed Jojoba Lanolin Lard Macadamia Nut Neem Olive Palm Butter Palm Kernel Palm Peanut Pumpkin Seed Rapeseed Rice Bran Safflower Sesame Shea Butter Shortening (Veg) Soybean Sunflower Tallow, Beef Walnut Wheat Germ Copyright The Nova Studio. All rights reserved. Page 13

14 Soap Mathematics Let s try calculating how much sodium hydroxide (NaOH, for short) we need for the recipe we re making in class. Because it takes a different amount of sodium hydroxide to saponify each oil in our recipe, we will look at each oil separately. 1. Let s start by determining how much sodium hydroxide we need for the olive oil. Referencing the Recipe CP 101 Soap Worksheet, we see we re using 25 oz olive oil in today s recipe. Looking at the chart of saponification values on the previous page, we see that olive oil has a saponification value of This means that it takes oz of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) to turn 1 oz of olive oil into soap. To figure out how much NaOH we need to saponify all 25 oz of olive oil in our recipe, we ll multiply the amount of olive oil in our recipe by this saponification value, like so: oz NaOH 25 oz olive oil ( ) = 3.35 oz NaOH 1 oz olive oil 2. Now, let s figure out how much sodium hydroxide is required for the coconut oil in our recipe: how much coconut oil is in today s recipe? 18 oz what is the saponification value for coconut oil? _18_oz coconut oil _0.1900_SAP value for coconut oil = _3.42_oz NaOH 3. Let s determine how much sodium hydroxide is required for the palm oil in our recipe: amount of palm oil in today s recipe = 18 oz SAP value for palm oil = _18_oz palm oil _0.1410_SAP value for palm oil = _2.538_oz NaOH 4. Finally, let s calculate how much sodium hydroxide is required to saponify the castor oil in our recipe. amount of castor oil in today s recipe = 3 oz SAP value for castor oil = _3_oz castor oil * SAP value for castor oil = _0.3858_oz NaOH 5. Almost there! Let s figure out how sodium hydroxide we need for the entire recipe. Simply add up the amount of NaOH required for each oil 3.35 oz NaOH oz NaOH oz NaOH oz NaOH = oz (Olive) (Coconut) (Palm) (Castor) (All Oils) Great! Now we know we need 9.69 oz NaOH to turn our entire batch of oils into soap. But do we want to saponify 100% of our oils? Copyright The Nova Studio. All rights reserved. Page 14

15 What is Superfatting? Superfatting is a term used to indicate the excess amount of oil in the soap recipe. Put another way, it s the amount of oil that remains unsaponified. Chemically speaking, during saponification, lye molecules join with fatty acid molecules to form soap. If you have the exact same amount of each, the result is 100% saponified soap with no extra lye or oil. In a soap that is superfatted, there are more molecules of oil then molecules of lye, so there are oils left in the final soap. The purpose of superfatting is to make sure there is no excess lye (or free lye) in the soap, and to give the soap added moisturizing properties. The downside of superfatting is that if the soap is not used within the shelf-life of the oil, the free oil molecules will eventually turn rancid and the soap will go bad. Bad soap smells a bit like old oil and can change color (also referred to as the dreaded orange spots ). I currently superfat at 5% (put another way, I do a 5% lye discount). IMPORTANT NOTE: For obvious reasons, unless you have the exact saponification value of the fat/oil you are using (from a laboratory, not from a chart or lye calculator), it is not advised to attempt a soap recipe that has no free oil. If you are off AT ALL in your calculations, you will end up with a bar with free lye that could be very harsh to skin. More Soap Mathematics Let s return to our work in progress. We know how much sodium hydroxide it will take to saponify 100% of our oils. Let s figure out how much sodium hydroxide is required if we superfat our recipe at 5%. How much lye is required for the entire recipe? _9.69_ oz What is our desired superfat (aka lye discount)? 5% For 5% superfat, we need to discount our lye by 5%. Another way to say this is that we want to only use 95% of the recommended lye amount. (100% - 5% super fat = 95% recommended lye usage. For math purposes, we can rewrite 95% as 0.95)..95 _9.69_ oz total lye required = _9.21 What do you notice when you compare this to the Majestic Mountain Sage printout on page 6? In the recipe that we re using in class today, we re going with the Majestic Mountain Sage lye calculator number for 5% excess fat, which is: 9.16 oz Copyright The Nova Studio. All rights reserved. Page 15

16 Soapmaking Oils/Fats Homemade soap can range from a soft, spongy bar, which can disappear rather quickly in your shower, to a firm, hard, long-lasting bar. The natural color of your soap can be white, yellow, tan, brown, gray, and even somewhat translucent. Your soap can have very small bubbles that barely lather or a rich, creamy sudsy lather. Homemade soap can be drying or moisturizing. All of these factors are influenced by what types of oils you use and how much unsaponified fat remains in the finished bar (also known as Superfatting). Coconut Oil: This is the #1 oil for soap makers. Coconut oil produces a hard bar of soap with large, creamy bubbles. Although some soaps are made with 100% coconut oil, too high a percentage is thought to produce a soap that is drying to the skin. It is best kept at under 35% of total oils. Sold in two different melting points: 76 F or 92 F. The 76 is softer at room temperature (can be soupy/messy in the summer) so I use the 92. Palm Oil: Used as a hardener in all vegetable recipes (a substitute for beef tallow). Palm oil produces a creamy soap with small bubbles that clean well. Many commercial soaps use palm oil as a base but it is best utilized in combination with coconut & olive. It traces quickly & makes a hard, longlasting bar. Lately I ve been using the Palm Shortening from it doesn t need to be stirred before measuring. Olive Oil: A stable oil high in oleic acid, has great marketing appeal and is commonly used for soap making. It can be used up to 100% of total fats for a very mild bar of soap. Drawbacks are that it takes a long time to trace, the lather will be very low, and the bar tends to get a bit gooey in the shower. Soap made from a majority of olive oil is known as castile soap and is the gentlest soap you can make (good for babies & those with sensitive skin). There are different grades of olive oil: Extra Virgin (first press), Virgin, Grade A, Grade B, and Pomace (last press from the pits). If it doesn t say any of the above on a label, chances are it is grade A or B. All types make perfectly good soap, but small variations in stirring time might occur with different grades (so be sure to keep good notes on your recipe sheet as to where you buy your oils & exactly what type they are). Castor Oil: Consists of 90% ricinoleic fatty acids. In soap, this means it produces a creamy lather and adds conditioning properties, but it also softens soap so be careful not to add too much. You want the creamy, lather boosting benefits without softening your soap too much. Suggested use level for bar soaps is 1-5% of the total oils. Cocoa Butter: Cocoa Butter is from the fruit of the Cacao tree which grows in tropical regions throughout the world. The butter is extracted from the seed kernels and is further refined to yield a tan/yellow colored butter with strong but pleasant chocolate odor. A small amount of the chocolate odor *might* come through in your finished soap, but you can buy deodorized which is *nearly* odorless. Use up to 10% of the total oils. Shea Butter: Shea Butter (aka African Karite Nut Butter) is from the nut of the Mangifolia tree in Central Africa. The soft, pliant butter is expeller pressed (hopefully w/out solvents) making a lipid suitable for soaps and toiletries. Shea Butter is a great superfatting oil and makes a luxurious soap. Shea butter will boost the lather of your soap when used at 10% of the total oils. (Note: Avocado oil with also boost lather at 10%.) NOTE: Nearly any animal fat or vegetable/nut oil or butter can be used to make soap. The most common non-animal soapmaking oils are coconut, palm & olive. As you get more experienced and vary the oils to create your own recipes (don t forget to recalculate the lye amount), you ll notice small differences in the properties of the soap. Be sure to keep good notes! Copyright The Nova Studio. All rights reserved. Page 16

17 Scenting Cold Process Soap Cold process soap can be left unscented or can be scented using essential oils or fragrance oils. I prefer to use essential oils to keep my soap natural, and that s mostly what I teach in this natural soap making class. Some information on fragrance oils can be found at the bottom of this page. Essential Oils WHAT ARE ESSENTIAL OILS? Essential Oils (E.O.s) are the concentrated, fragrant, essence of plants. These volatile extracts are obtained by distillation or expression from flowers, citrus peels, grasses, seeds, leaves, roots, barks, fruits, mosses, and resins. If you want your soap to be all natural you will need to use essential oils for scenting (or leave the scent out entirely). HOW MUCH TO USE? Since essential oils all come from different plants (and parts of plants), they vary quite a bit in intensity & strength. Therefore, different amounts of different essential oils are recommended. You will have to experiment and keep good notes to find the perfect amount of each oil that you prefer, but here are some basic guidelines to get you started:.9 ounces of CITRUS essential oils per pound of oil/fat in your recipe (orange, tangerine, lime, lemon, grapefruit, bergamot, etc.) - NOTE: If you use a folded citrus (5x or 10x), you can use less about.5 ounces..5 ounces of MINT & SPICE essential oils per pound of oil/fat in your recipe (mint, geranium, rosemary, patchouli, bitter almond (benzaldehyde), etc.).7 ounces of MOST OTHER essential oils per pound of oil/fat in your recipe (lavender, litsea cubeba, cedarwood, etc.) DIRECTIONS FOR USING THE BASIC GUIDELINES ABOVE: 1. Add up the total oils in your recipe (in ounces) and come up with a total ounces batch weight. Divide that number by 16 (since there are ounces in a pound) and you will get your total batch weight. For my recipe, it is 64 oz. of oil weight, which is 4 pounds. 2. Locate the essential oil above and multiply the number by 4 (total pounds of oil). For lavender, it would be:.7 x 4 = 2.8 oz. lavender for the entire 4 lb. batch. (=1.8%) TESTED SCENT COMBINATIONS FOR 4 POUND BATCHES: MOJITO: 2 oz. lime & 1 oz. spearmint ORANGE BLOSSOM: 1 oz. petitgrain & 2 oz. sweet orange LAVENDER CITRUS: 1.5 oz. lavender & 1.5 oz. any citrus LAVENDER MINT: 2 oz. lavender & 1 oz. peppermint SPEARMINT ROSEMARY: 2 oz. spearmint &.5 oz. rosemary YLANG YLANG BERGAMOT: 1 oz. ylang ylang & 2 oz. bergamot LEMON POPPY SEED: 2 oz. lemon & 1 oz. litsea cubeba (or lemongrass) PINE & CEDAR: 1.8 oz. fir needle & 1.2 oz. cedarwood Fragrance Oils Fragrance Oils (F.O.s) are often used by soap makers to scent CP soap. F.O.s are considered synthetic (they are not considered natural & are created in a lab or by a perfumer). If you want scents like Mango Coconut or Cucumber Melon, your only option is to use fragrances. Be sure to purchase cosmetic grade F.O.s which means they are skin safe & tested in diluted amounts on the skin. Be aware that some may cause seizing (a reaction between the F.O. & the lye). Seizing causes the soap to harden quickly in the pot. Try to buy fragrance oils from a company that tests them in CP soap. Copyright The Nova Studio. All rights reserved. Page 17

18 Using Natural Additives for Color & Texture Although coloring your CP soap can be rather unpredictable, mixing & playing with color is one of the best ways to make your soap unique! The following is a list of commonly used natural ingredients that can add color and texture to your home made soap. If you are okay using colors that are not 100% natural, I recommend PIGMENTS (Ultramarines & Oxides) and NOT dyes. Pigments are my favorite soap color category and give you the color you see whereas dyes can change/morph. Alfalfa Powder (light green ½ tsp./lb.) Annatto Seeds (beautiful yellow/orange) Chamomile Powder (yellow/gold) Alkanet Root (pink/blue/purple ph meter) Calendula Petals (retain their color in soap) Chlorophyll, Liquid (light green - fades) Cinnamon (beige/brown ½ tsp./lb. to swirl) Clays (white, light green, beige, yellow, pink, red) Cocoa Pwd (brown) (swirl: add 2 tsp./2 C soap) Comfrey Root (deep sage green 1 tsp./lb.) Goldenseal (yellow pricey $$) Indigo Root Powder (blue - be sure to mix well)) Hibiscus (red/purple) Mustard Seed, Ground (yellow) Madder Root (tomato red) Parsley Powder (nice medium green) Orange Peel Powder (orange - gritty) Saffron (yellow pricey $$) Paprika (peach/salmon ½ tsp./lb.) Sandalwood Powder (orange/red/maroon) Sage Powder (sage green/tan) Spinach Powder (pale green) specks Spirulina Powder (has oceany smell pricey $$) Turmeric Powder (really nice gold/yellow) How much herb/color you use is a matter of preference, but a good place to start is 1 tsp. of natural color for 1 lb. of oil/fat. Too much color is indicated when the lather or the bubbles are no longer white. This could stain your tub, your skin and your towels. When using herbs & spices mainly for color, some people mix them into a paste with a small amount of raw soap from the soap pot and then stir that mixture back into the main pot. Others use an herb-infused oil (for stronger color) or mix herbs with a little oil right before making the soap (be sure to factor these last two methods into your oil calculations). One of the best ways to use herbs for texture in soap is to add dry, finely powdered herbs to the oils before adding the lye/water. Use anywhere from 1 tablespoon to ¼ cup dried herbs to 1 lb. soap (this refers to the oil/fat weight). Limit coarsely ground herbs to 1 or 2 tablespoons otherwise the soap could be too scratchy it doesn t take much! The color of your base oils/fats will affect the final color of your soap. For example, if you use soybean oil which is slightly yellow and add blue color, you might end up with greenish-blue. Most vanilla extracts & vanilla fragrances will turn the soap brown. Depending on the shade, it may look nice but quite often brown soap is not appealing because it's the color of what you are usually trying to wash off! OTHER RESOURCES FOR COLORING SOAP: Lori s Coloring with Confidence ebook Ruth s Coloring Soap Naturally ebook Copyright The Nova Studio. All rights reserved. Page 18

19 #1 Soap Antioxidant ROSEMARY OLEORESIN EXTRACT (ROE) Rosemary Oleoresin Extract (aka ROE) is an antioxidant that is used to extend the shelf life of handcrafted soap. Since most handmade soap is superfatted (the soap has extra/free oil in it), the shelf life of the soap is determined by the shelf life of the excess oils. To extend the shelf life of your soap, we recommend using ROE and keeping your oils in a cool/dark location. Note: ROE not the same thing as Rosemary Essential Oil or Rosemary Extract. How much do you need (what is the usage rate)? -For a 4-lb. batch of oil (a single batch), use 2 grams of ROE (approx. 1/2 tsp). -For an 8-lb. bath of oil (a double batch), use 4 grams of ROE (approx 1 tsp). (or you can calculate the amount yourself based on using.1% of your total oils). How do you use it? Simply add ROE to your oils after melting (before combining with the lye). Storage: For the longest shelf life of your ROE, we recommend storing ROE in a refrigerator. Molds & Scales Many things can be used as soap molds; everything from old shoe boxes (great for beginners), to Tupperware containers, to fancy divider molds (see below). The main thing to keep in mind is how you will get the soap out. Most molds need to be lined so the soap doesn t stick & to ensure that it will come out. Below is some info. to keep in mind. Lining Molds When using wooden or cardboard molds, I line them with Reynolds-Brand Lined Freezer Paper (with the shiny side coming into contact with the soap). Some people use plastic garbage bags or kitty liners but bags often cause wrinkles in the soap. I wouldn t recommend greasing molds like many books say, because any fat you use to grease will most likely saponify & turn into soap making it stick even more. If you don t mind using Petroleum-based products (personally I don t like to use them), I ve heard that mineral oil will not saponify, but your soap might have a film on it afterwards. How Much Soap = How Big a Mold? It's always tricky to determine how big of a mold is needed for a batch of soap. One recommendation is that you need 3½ cups volume for each pound of oils/fat in your recipe. You can test your mold with water to see how much volume it will hold but this will only work with plastic molds that are water tight. Scales & Weighing Ingredients While you can get away with a cheap manual kitchen scale for some bath & body products, soapmaking from scratch is different. It is *really* important when making soap that you have an accurate way to measure all your ingredients (especially the lye). People pay hundreds and thousands of dollars for super accurate scales, but in my opinion, a medium priced (around $50) scale can adequately handle what we need to make soap. I have researched scales in this price range heavily & found one that works great for weighing ingredients for soap, lotions, and everything I make. RECOMMENDED SCALE: The My Weigh KD-7000, with a 15-pound capacity, it measures in grams, ounces & kilograms. It can handle everything needed for a 4-pound batch, and even when our recipe is doubled, (8 pounds of oil) it handles everything, no problem. Be sure to read the instructions that come with the scale & save the lifetime warrantee card with your receipt. Copyright The Nova Studio. All rights reserved. Page 19

20 Troubleshooting Making soap is not a precise art and from time to time, you may experience some unexpected results. In most cases, failed batches are due to inaccurate measuring of the ingredients (do you have a good scale?). It s easy to make a mistake when weighing, so when making soap be sure to give it your full attention & focus. Here is a list of common problems, & suggestions for how to deal with them from Melinda Coss, author of the book Gourmet Soaps Made Easy. 1. Curdling: If you have ever poured sour milk into your coffee you will have a good idea of the visual appearance of curdling. This is quite common in soaps containing milk and these can successfully be whisked into a smooth mixture. Use an electric whisk to do this and work quickly. Be prepared to pour the soap quite quickly as trace will speed up considerably. Curdling sometimes occurs when you mix the fats and sodium hydroxide (lye) at a very high temperature. 2. Seizing: If your soap mixture appears to be setting in the pan it is often due to a reaction caused by the fragrance of essential oils. Pour the soap (or spoon it) immediately into your mold and do your best to flatten the surface. Your basic soap should be fine to use, just not as pretty as it should be. 3. Crumbly soap: This can be caused by too little water (or too much lye). Your final soap will be difficult to cut without breaking and could prove to be quite harsh. Test it using Ph drops if it turns bright pink, it s caustic!! If it s clear (not pink), you can rebatch it or grate it & use it as laundry soap. 4. Separation: This becomes apparent after you have poured your soap into the mold. A significant layer of oil or grease sits on top of the mixture. If the layer of oil is only thin, it is probably caused by the essential oils and will be re-absorbed during the curing process. If the layer is thick, you have a caustic soap that should be discarded. This has probably been caused by an excess of sodium hydroxide (lye) in the initial mixture. 5. No trace: Your soap can take hours and hours to reach trace so, if you are sure your ingredients were weighed correctly, don t worry about it. Leave it as long as you can, stirring frequently and then pour into the mold. It will trace eventually. 6. Soft soap after several days: Some combinations of oils (particularly sunflower and olive) seem to take a lifetime to harden. Too much castor oil can also cause a soft soap. An excess of water can also prolong the time it takes the soap to harden or you may have included too little sodium hydroxide (lye). Leave the soap in the mold, if it hardens eventually, it should be all right to use. 7. Small white chunks in soap: These are caused by an excess of sodium hydroxide (lye) or inadequate stirring. The white areas are caustic and the soap should be discarded. 8. Small bubbles of liquid trapped in hard soap: Again, this is caused by excessive amounts of sodium hydroxide (lye) or inadequate stirring. The liquid in the bubbles is caustic, discard the soap. 9. Soap has turned to jelly: This looks like a big problem but some soapmakers prefer their soap to reach this gel stage as it does result in a harder bar of soap. The cause is not clear but I suspect it is related to overheating, which can happen as a reaction to some essential and fragrance oils. It also tends to happen more frequently when you are making large batches of soap. 10. Soap will not release from mold: Put it in the freezer for an hour or so and try again. If you forgot to grease your mold, this can cause the problem but freezing certainly helps. 11. White powder forms on the surface of the soap: This is called Soda Ash. This is very common & quite harmless. If you don t like the way it looks, scrape or wash the powder off the soap before wrapping it. The problem can be reduced by placing plastic wrap directly on the surface of the soap after it has been poured into the mold, and leaving it on for about 3-4 days. Copyright The Nova Studio. All rights reserved. Page 20